Over the past month the media has blown up over the controversial shooting of Michael Brown. Were the police justified in their actions?
One thing has remained clear, from the robbery to the murder of Brown to the riots in the streets of Ferguson: This case is a f#^&*ng mess. Inconsistencies of the confrontation between the cop who shot Brown six times to the point of death on Aug. 9 have been separated into two very different stories.
Recent audio leaks try to make the claim that Michael Brown was guilty of charging at the police officer who shot and killed him. Bystanders and friends of Brown tell a different story.
Immediately after the death of Brown the media had a field day, parading headlines that rang “White cop kills black man,” reminiscent of the fateful Travyon Martin death from nearly two years ago.
An editorial from the New York Times described Brown as “no angel,” justifying the death. Editorial Board member Michael McGough said after reading said editorial he “didn’t’ find the ‘no angel’ line objectionable.”
In our eyes, the entire situation could have been avoided. Shooting an 18-year-old to death on the grounds of lifting items from a convenient store doesn’t warrant being shot to death.
What many people don’t realize is the segregation that is still rampant through out the United States. Cities where so-called minorities actually make up the majority of the population still deal with racism and what many call “white privilege.” According to a Salon.com article, white privilege is the possession of built-in social advantages that said demographic cannot perceive or are reluctant to acknowledge.
With President Obama’s inauguration into office in 2008, assumptions to moral and racial justice were rampant. Let’s be honest, not much has changed.
Even though protesters and community members alike make compelling arguments to back their claims, we see a bigger underlying issue. With unnecessary violence such as this how are we supposed to trust those law enforcers who pledge to protect us?
One thing that’s apparent via popular social media such as Twitter is the injustice being reported from police in Ferguson. Videos of protesters and reporters running from clouds of tear gas and the threat of rubber bullets have flooded the timelines of those near and far to the event.
Media coverage in events such as these is detrimental. Without the updates from independent journalists and local protesters, the terrifying events of Ferguson would have gone unknown.
From the alleged conversation between bystanders, reporters and police officers during the riots and protests, it is evident local law enforcement was not keen on these events being disclosed. Many have taken this killing as a call to stop what they see as racial injustice. And while many flocked to the scene in Ferguson to stand up for Brown and his family in an effort to fight this racial war, many stood up in Brown’s honor to tackle something much deeper: injustice between the general population and local law enforcement.
